Orchestre de la Suisse Romande

Biography

Founded in 1918 by Ernest Ansermet, permanent conductor until 1967, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, with its 112 permanent musicians, ensures subscription concerts in Geneva and Lausanne, the City of Geneva symphony concerts, the annual concert for the UN, as well as opera performances at the Grand Théâtre de Genève. Its reputation has been built up over the years thanks to its historic recordings and its interpretation of 20th-century French and Russian repertoire.

The orchestra's Music and Artistic Director is Jonathan Nott. Its Principal Guest Conductor is Japanese maestro Kazuki Yamada.

Under the guidance of its founding conductor and subsequent music directors (Paul Kletzki 1967- 1970, Wolfgang Sawallisch 1970-1980, Horst Stein 1980-1985, Armin Jordan 1985-1997, Fabio Luisi 1997-2002, Pinchas Steinberg 2002-2005, Marek Janowski 2005-2012, Neeme Järvi, 2012-2015), the world-famous Orchestre de la Suisse Romande is an active contributor to the history of music through the discovery or support of leading contemporary composers. The pieces by Claude Debussy, Igor Stravinsky, Darius Milhaud, Arthur Honegger, Frank Martin, Benjamin Britten, Heinz Holliger, Peter Eötvös, James MacMillan, Pascal Dusapin or Michael Jarrell were premiered in Geneva by the OSR. It is one of its important mission: supporting the symphonic creation, and particularly the Swiss one. The OSR is a partner of Pro Helvetia until 2017 for the project “Oeuvres suisses”.

From its very early days and in close collaboration with the Radio-Télévision Suisse Romande, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande has been broadcast on radio around the world, enabling millions of listeners to tune in. Thanks to a partnership with Decca, (over 100 recordings), the OSR has made legendary recordings. The orchestra has also recorded for dozens of labels, which have won major awards. The orchestra has developed a privileged partnership with Pentatone, recording up to two to three discs per season.

The OSR’s international tours have led them to perform in the most prestigious venues in Europe (Berlin, London, Vienna, Salzburg, Paris, Budapest and Amsterdam), Asia (Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing, Shanghai), as well as in major cities on the American continent (Boston, New York, San Francisco, Washington, São Paulo, Buenos Aires and Montevideo). During the 2011-2012 season, the OSR gave its first performances in Moscow and St Petersburg. In July 2014 the orchestra made a triumphant visit to Japan (Suntory Hall) and Seoul (SeongNam Arts Center) and in February 2015, it engaged on a major US tour with Charles Dutoit and Nikolai Lugansky, on both the West and the East Coast. In May 2016, the OSR gave its first concerts in Mumbai (India). The OSR has been invited by many festivals, including Música de Canarias, the Lucerne Easter and Summer Festivals, the Festival de Radio France and Montpellier, the Menuhin Festival Gstaad, and the Septembre Musical de Montreux.

The Orchestre de la Suisse Romande is funded by the canton and City of Geneva, Radio-Télévision Suisse Romande, associations of Friends of the Orchestra and many sponsors and patrons. For the concerts in Lausanne, the OSR receives generous support from the Canton of Vaud.